kaddish

noun

kad·​dish ˈkä-dish 

plural kaddishes also kaddishim kä-ˈdi-shim 

-(ˌ)shēm

often capitalized

: a Jewish prayer recited in the daily ritual of the synagogue and by mourners at public services after the death of a close relative

Examples of kaddish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The movement was born during the 2014 Israel-Hamas War, when a group of young Jews organized a public recitation of the mourner’s kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. —Atalia Omer, The Conversation, 21 May 2024

Backlit by light pouring in through glass bricks, Carell stands solemnly holding a piece of paper his captor printed out for him with the words of the kaddish. —Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 June 2023

Reading from the Torah and saying certain prayers, including the kaddish, or mourner’s prayer, must take place in a group with a quorum of 10, known as a minyan. —Religion News Service, oregonlive, 25 Mar. 2022

Beale, Godley and Overshown are dressed throughout in mourning suits, which is appropriate for a play that says a kaddish for American capitalism. —Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2022

There, around the open grave, additional prayers including a special kaddish, a praise of God, are recited and the casket is lowered. —Jonathan D. Sarna, The Conversation, 24 Sep. 2020

In Hallelujah, the group’s kaddish for lost friends, Anderson portrays their lament similarly, using live theater devices that have a metaphysical effect. —Armond White, National Review, 1 Apr. 2020

There were not enough people to say kaddish, the prayer for the dead, so the rabbi rang doorbells in the apartment building, looking for worshipers to join them. —Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, 12 July 2019

The two Australian Jews stood side-by-side in the cemetery to recite the kaddish for their deceased siblings. —Emanuella Grinberg, Smithsonian, 11 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

Aramaic qaddīsh holy

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kaddish

• radish
• horseradish